Female Retirement: Effects on Spousal Roles and Marital Adjustment

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Abstract
PAST research on retirement has nearly exclusively centered on the adjustment problems of male retirees. This trend is particularly obvious in studies on the effects of retirement on the marital relationship. Data from a pilot study of 25 female retirees and their husbands indicate that female retirement can, indeed, influence a couple's marital satisfaction and task allocation patterns. The retirement of the wife does not always lead to a redistribution of household tasks, nor do all female retirees experience a full-time household role after retirement is entirely positive ways. Effects of the wife's retirement on the marital relationship are often described as positive: Many couples feel relieved from the stresses associated with their dual work and family obligations and enjoy their new togetherness and joint leisure time activities. Negative effects on the marital relationship can occur, however, if the wife experiences serious retirement adjustment problems or if the spouses feel irritated by each other's continuous presence at home.